Light attachment for firearms.



igcogss C'. A. LEWIS.

LTGHT ATTACHMENT TOR FIRBARMS.

' APPLICATION FILED 00T. 3l, 1912.

Patented Aug. 12, 1913.

coLuMnlA PLANOURAPH co.,wAsmNn'r0N. D. c.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLIFFORD A. LEWIS, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 OREGON ELECTRIC GUN CO., OF PORTLAND, OREGON, A COR- PORATION 0F OREGON.

LIGHT ATTACHMENT FOR FIREARMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A110'. 12,1913.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CLIFFORD A. LEWIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Light Attachments for Firearms, of which the follo-wing is a specification.

The invention relates more particularly to a means wit-hin the control of the operator in the use of which the objective point of the gun ire may be momentarily or continuously illuminated to permit the use of the fire-arm without the usual sighting or under such conditions where sighting is impossible or the object aimed at ordinarily invisible.

In the use of fire-arms in t/he dark or under such similar conditions' as render the ordinary use of the gun-sight impossible, the probability of accomplishing a specified result is mainly due to chance, and as accuracy under such conditions, as in emergency uses for/protection, is desirable, it is highly important that some means be provided whereby the user may with speed and accuracy direct the gun-fire. l

It is therefore the main object of the present invent-ion to provide a lighting attachment which may be `removably connected to any type of fire-arms and which when in use will direct onto any particular object a luminous spot centrally of which is indicated the objective point of the bullet.

An object of the invention is to arrange in the stock of a gun a battery which is connected in an electric circuit with a lamp and to provide means for automatically closing the switch of the circuit. I further provide an improved means for extending the stock of the gun so as to form a casing for the battery. This invention is designed as an improvement upon that disclosed in Patent No. 982,280 and in my pending application No. 684,655 for light attachments for firearms, and is especially intended for use in guns where the main spring and double action spring are secured on a bar not lower than the middle point of t-he stock.

The invention in its preferred details of construction will be described in the following specification, reference being had particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of a gun with a side member of the stock removed, showing my improvements installed. Fig. 2 is an inside view of a member of the gunstock, showing the battery in place. Fig. 3 is a rear view of a fragment of the gun showing a thumb attachment for operating the switch. Fig. l is a bottom plan of the gun stock.

Referring to the drawing in detail, 1 represents the barrel of a gun which has secured to its lower side a tube 2 which carries in its rear end an electric lamp 3, to which is connected the circuit wire 4 eX- tending along the groove 5 in the body of the gun to the binding post 6 supporting the contact plate 7 upon the side member of the gun stock.

Opposite the metal cross bar 8, which is fixed at the median portion of the stock, is secured a bracket 9 carrying the spring contact bar 10. This bar conforms to the gun stock and rises to a point above the plate 7. Upon the terminal of the contact bar rests a push pin 11, which rises through an aperture in the'gun to the point at which the hammer will strike when the gun is cocked.

The end bar of the usual gun stock is removed and the body portion opened out to form the cavity 12 into which the battery 13 may be inserted with the contact plate 14 bearing against the bracket 9. The battery used is oval or elliptical in cross section to conform to the cavity in the frame and handles. By this means an additional cell may be used. At one side of the metal frame is fixed a spring 15 adapted to press upon the metal plate 16 inlaid in the side of the battery.

When the hammer is retracted, as seen in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the pin will be depressed closing the switch and establishing a circuit through the metal of the gun to the lamp.

Since it is impossible to inclose a bat-tery large enough to produce an eflicient light, entirely within the stock of the gun, I have inserted the battery part way and have provided elongated side members 17, each of which has the shouldered portion 18 to fit against the end of the steel frame. A central aperture is then formed registering with the opening formed in the end bar of the frame, to form the cavity 12. The stock is then covered with the plate 19, which is pivoted upon the screw 20, and adapted to be fastened with the binding screw Q1.

Upon the terminus of the push pin 1l is secured a U-shaped bar 23 the sides of which bear against the sides of t-he gun, and the end portions 24 are inclined outwardly to form a thumb piece at each side by means of which the circuit may be closed by the thumb, when it is desired to do so.

My lamp has a lens ground or blown into it to focus the rays of light, and equipped with a tungsten filament so as to afford the least possible amount of heat. The lens 25 in the tube 2 is a double convex lens and is placed at the required focal distance from the lamp to properly concentrate the rays upon the object aimed at.

Y Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of a fire arm equipped with an electric circuit and having a cavity in the butt thereof, extended side members on the stock conforming to the stock frame and prolonging said cavity, and a closure for the cavity upon the bottom of the external portion, with a battery fitted in said cavity, a bracket carrying a switch bar fixed in the stock, a switch connecting with the battery and rising above said switch bar, a push pin resting on said switch and rising through the stock to the rear of the hammer whereby by the operation of the hammer said switch may be closed, and means connecting the battery in said circuit.

2. The combination of a fire arm equipped with an electric circuit and having a cavity in the butt thereof, extended side members on the stock conforming to the stock frame and prolonging said cavity, and a closure for the cavity upon the bottom of the external portion, with a battery itted in said cavity, a bracket carrying a switch bar fixed in the stock, a switch connecting with the battery and rising above said switch bar, a push pin resting on said switch and rising through the stock to the rear of the hammer whereby by the operation of the hammer said switch may be closed, means connecting` the battery in said circuit, and a thumb piece iixed upon said push pin, the terminal members of which depend against the sides of the gun stock for manually closing the switch.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature f in presence of two witnesses.

CLIFFORD A. LEVIS. Witnesses G. B. NissnN, HAZEL A. ARMSTRONG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

